The How Of Happiness A New Approach For Getting The Life...

The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is simultaneously an academic book and comprehensive guide about positive psychology and it’s applications in daily life. Dr. Lyubomirsky provides not only facts and figures to back up her science but also includes quizzes and exercises for the reader to learn more about himself or herself in context with the book. The book is broken down into 3 different sections: How to Attain Real and Lasting Happiness, Happiness Activities, and Secrets to Abiding Happiness. In the first part of the book, Dr. Lyubomirsky explains her 40% solution. Think of happiness as 100%. 50% of this is based on genetics and this is a person’s set happiness point. Even when a person experiences extreme emotion like winning the lottery after some time his or her happiness level will return to the set point. 10% is based on a person’s life circumstances such as where he or she lives, how much money he o r she has, how you look, etc. The final 40% is where Dr. Lyubomirsky puts her focus because this is the part of person’s happiness that he or she is able to control; this is ultimately determined by a person’s behavior. If someone wants to be happier, he or she needs to make changes to their behavior not their circumstances. Dr. Lyubomirsky goes into more detail about how a person can make this change in the second part of her book. Firstly, though, she provides the reader with a couple exercises and debunks aShow MoreRelatedThree Steps to the Happy Life: Why this Approach Does Not Work1097 Words   |  5 PagesThe happy life. What does this mean to me? Kristen Linker, a third year student at Redeemer University College. It begins with balance: trusting God, finding Joy, having harmonious relationships with the people in my life and doing the best I can with what I have at this stage in life. If I would have had to write this paper at the beginning of this semester, I would have had a completely different view on the happy life. However, through this course, I have learned what I think are the most important

Comparative Essay The Catcher and the Rye vs. The Curious...

The Struggle to Be Normal In today’s society, many teenagers struggle in their everyday lives due to the fact that they have different qualities than others. The novel, Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is about a young man named Holden Caulfield, who suffers from multiple mental illnesses, causing him to be treated different by others. Due to tragedies he has suffered from in the past, and all that is going on in is present life, Holden can no longer cope and runs away to New York. Christopher Boone, from the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, also suffers from multiple mental illnesses and has experienced life changing tragedies over the years. For many years Christopher’s father has been†¦show more content†¦He rarely socializes when he is at school or out in public, and when he is at home, he prefers to be alone his room with his pet rat. â€Å"And I really like little spaces, so long as there is no one else in there with me.† (Haddo n. 50). In the rare occasion that Christopher associates with people out in public that he does not know, the interaction usually ends quickly due to Christopher feeling uncomfortable and leaving in a hurry. When he had no choice but to engage in conversation with a neighbor who was nothing but friendly to him, he began to think of every possible thing that could go wrong and quickly decided to leave. â€Å"And I thought she might be ringing the police and then I’d get into much more serious trouble because of the caution. So I walked away† (Haddon. 40). Even though Christopher does lack social skills, there are still ways he can learn to become more social and ways of interacting with others to better him. Unfortunately he does not put any effort into increasing his social skills, and neither do any of the few people he has a relationship with, causing him to resource to isolating himself because that is what he has always been used to doing. Overall, isolation plays a major role in both novels, causing both main characters to isolate themselves in similar ways. With both characters choosing to isolate themselves comes a great deal of independence. The amount of independence a person has varies based

A Theological Account Of Death And Dying - 2501 Words

Candidate No: 000648153 TMM2171 Christian Faith Ethical Living Essay Two Martha Grace Weatherill Christian Faith Ethics Essay Two Draft Word Count: 2680 How should a theological account of death and dying shape the morale debate concerning euthanasia The debate on whether it is moral to assist in suicide or euthanasia has been very strong and heated by both sides of the argument, this debate has not gone away although the bill for the arguments for assisted suicide and euthanasia was lost in the UK parliament last year.[footnoteRef:1] Using the works of catholic theologians from the fourth century to the twenty first century, this essay gives the theological account of death and dying and aims to shape the moral debate concerning†¦show more content†¦as one identifies with Christ?s suffering, death and resurrection (Hope). Therefore, the Christian understanding is to accept death as natural even though it is a punishment from the fall. This acceptance will help the Christian?s ?journey? with death in their lives and the lives of friends and family, by treating the dying with care and dignity as a community and by addressing and managing the ?total pain? of the individual as practiced in hospices.[footnoteRef:4] [2: Da vid Albert Jones, Approaching the End: A Theological Exploration of Death and Dying (Oxford?; New York: OUP Oxford, 2007), 24.] [3: Ibid., 37.] [4: Beville, Dying to Kill, 285?301.] For Thomas Aquinas, a thirteenth century theologian, in agreement with Augustine, he maintains that dying is because of sin and is natural when it occurs because of elements in the body that are contrary to existence. He argues that suicide and indeed assisted killing is viewed as death in an ?unnatural state? because what happens is that the individual killed is deprived of their life, the community loses one of its members and the person?s soul is dead in a manner that is not natural. Jones takes this even further by suggesting that it is even worse to kill someone out of mercy because the innocent deserves our protection. Aquinas maintains that this sort of death is against a person?s natural love of self and it questions God?s authority. David AlbertShow MoreRelatedTheology Leads to Interpretation1336 Words   |  6 PagesEmily Dickinson’s extensive collection of poems on the subject of death can be better understood individually once time has been taken to view her works as whole. By viewing the works as a whole, it is possible to conclude a likely theological view point of the author and then apply this theology to the individual works in order to improve interpretation. Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† is one such poem that when viewed individually is open to a wide scope of readingsRead MoreSignificance Of Christ s Resurrection Essay1630 Words   |  7 Pagescannot be too easy to explain. On the theological aspect, which all Christians should be take into consideration to ponder and come to a realization that this event (the resurrection) has completely changed the course of human history as regarding to the communion between man and God the Father. A necessary step in the reconciliation process between man’s sinful nature and God as a just judge. So it is not whether it is one or another, historical or theological. Whether the audience is believer orRead MoreCritique On The Resurrection Of Christ : Theological Implications By Daniel B. Wallace Essay1478 Words   |  6 Pages In our second article critique we have to critique an article about â€Å"The Resurrection of Christ: Theological Implications† written by Daniel B. Wallace. Before getting to the content in this article we must first talk some about the author. Daniel B. Wallace has taught Greek and New Testament courses on a graduate school level since 1979. He has a Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and is currently professor of New Testament Studies at his alma mater. His Greek Grammar BeyondRead MoreChrists Resurrection Essay923 Words   |  4 Pageshope, because, as He, by rising again, became victorious over death, so the victory of our faith consists only in His resurrection.† This is my favorite saying, because Jesus does bring hope, even during trials and pain. Thomas Aquinas once said, â€Å"We gather the effect of Christs death in the Sacraments so far as remission of guilt goes: at the end of the world we shall gain the effect of Christs resurrection in our deliverance from death.† The saying that speaks to my heart the most is what St. AugustineRead MoreRevelations in the Bible Essay920 Words   |  4 Pages This scenario proves why Jesus is not fighting for God in heaven along with Michael because Jesus fight will be the historical one. The engagement that Jesus would have with the dragon would happen on earth on the cross (12:11). While Jesus is dying on the cross, Michael and his angels are fighting in heaven with the dragon. When Michael expels the dragon from heaven, Jesus is resurrected and taken to the throne. As Jesus rises to heaven, the dragon is thrown down to earth which the dragon takesRead MoreAnalysis Of Galatians s Galatians 1692 Words   |  7 Pagespart of the promise that God made to Abram and his offspring (Christ). Instead the Law was created because of the sins of the people of Israel and because of that it was a prison to the people. Paul then tells the Galatians that Christ coming and dying on the cross was the way to get the people out from underneath the confines of the law, to allow them to be truly free and righteous. Chapter 4 is the mood swing chapter in my opinion. Paul changes pace from being the angry father to the GalatiansRead MoreThe Theological Doctor Who Delivers Essay1040 Words   |  5 PagesThe theological Doctor who delivers the epilogue underscores the play’s moral lesson: â€Å"And he that hath his account whole and sound, high in heaven he shall be crowned† (lines 916-917). He reminds the audience that this play about dying right is, equally, in the end, about the importance of living right. Our life, our mortality is futile – Everyman seeks to impress upon its audience an awareness of life’s impermanence, and ability to discern the eternal in the midst of the transitory, and a commitmentRead MoreAn Analysis of Christianity1094 Words   |  5 Pagesthat, through the death and resurrection of Jesus,sinful humans are reconciled to God and thereby attain salvation and the promise of eternal life. While there have been theological disputes over the nature of Jesus, most Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate and â€Å"true God and true man†.Jesus,having become fully human in all respects, including the aspect of mortality,suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man,yet he did not sin. As fully God, he defeated death and rose to life againRead MoreEschatology2104 Words   |  9 PagesBishop Patteson Theological College Kohimarama 2013 Eschatology and Soteriology Assignment One (What cultural module you would use to explain Eschatology to your congregation) Name: Ellison Gito Course: THEO 235/ESCHATOLOGY/SOTERIOLOGY Semester: One Diploma: Three Year: 2013 Due date: March, Lecturer: Rev. Fox Mark CONTENTS Page 1) Introduction 1 2) Definition of Eschatology 1 3) Traditional Belief to Eschatology in Isabel 2 Read MoreA Case Study on Clinical Pastoral Education Essay7178 Words   |  29 PagesMINISTRY B. PATIENT’S BACKGROUND INFORMATION C. FIRST ENCOUNTER (VERBATIM) D. PRELIMINARY REFLECTION a. my initial reaction b. main issues c. my plan of action d. psychological theory at work e. spiritual assessment f. theological reflection E. SECOND ENCOUNTER (followed by preliminary reflection including session a-f) F. THIRD ENCOUNTER (followed by preliminary reflection including session a-f) G. CONCLUSION A. INTRODUCTION AND THEOLOGY OF MINISTRY:

Empowering Others to Empower Yourself free essay sample

People dont like being told what to do. This is a fairly simple concept. If you want people to do what you want them to, explicitly commanding them to do it isnt always the best strategy. Oddly, many companies regularly fail to comprehend or appropriately respond to this idea. Businesses that are out to make a profit are commonly associated with things like salesmen, bosses, CEOs, and in-your-face advertising, all of which carry the idea of telling people what to do. Valve Software is arguably one of the most successful, well-known, and highly commended companies in the video game industry, responsible for incredibly popular titles such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Team Fortress Classic, and their sequels (all of which are just as popular). However, from its very beginnings, Valve has set itself apart from other companies not only through the superior quality of its work, but by the way in which it continually empowers those that are a part of it. This includes staff, as well as community contributors, and even average users of any of Valves services. As Valve continues to empower its supporters, it continues to succeed. This brings a logical theory: empowering people, and therefore not telling them what to do, is a very viable way for a business to increase both its profits and its notoriety. Now, when I think about Valve on a regular basis all of this ambiguous, theoretical junk isnt what goes through my head. When it comes to Valve, the absolute, most important thing for me is that Valve makes amazing games. Valve makes mind-blowingly awesome games. On multiple occasions, Valve has immersed me into video games in ways I had never thought possible. I will never forget one particular section of Half-Life 2 in which I, the player, was required to navigate my way across the underside of a bridge over water, walking carefully on steel girders as enemy soldiers fired at me from the other side. One evasive step in the wrong direction would lead me plummeting to a watery grave below. I had never imagined that a video game could invoke a sudden fear of heights into the player so well. I have played Team Fortress 2 for 300 hours. It was a near daily activity my junior year to play after school with my best friend as we discussed how much we hated our history teacher. I have braved the intense battles against the Combine race, which tried to take over Earth in Half-Life 2. I have spent many late nights fighting seemingly endless hordes of zombies with friends in Left 4 Dead 2. And I have spent hours solving the puzzles in Portal and Portal 2 just to hear the perfectly games perfectly crafted dialogue. I have come to hold Valve in the highest regards among all other developers in the game industry. I have also acquired almost 100 games on the Steam platform, purchasing many games largely because they were heavily discounted (some were only a dollar). I estimate I have spent close to 40 dollars on items for use inside the game Team Fortress 2. I have also recently experienced the thrill in realizing that I can make my own levels for Left 4 Dead 2. I have realized that in many occasions, I have felt empowered by Valve, empowered as a consumer, as a player, and as a community member. In some ways, I could even say I was manipulated, but I am okay with this. In the end, Valves products and services continue to impress me, but I was left wondering if maybe there was a connection between how powerful I see Valve and how powerful they can make their users feel. To start understanding the way in which Valve empowers its patrons, we must first look into the groundwork: Valves employment structure. Valve is known for its complete lack of bosses among its developers. In fact, Valves handbook for new employees refers to this as the â€Å"Flatland,† meaning that every employee has the same level of power. Pay is determined by a system of peer review and â€Å"stack ranking,† which is a system by which employees assign values to their peers in 4 categories: skill level/technical ability, roductivity/output, group contribution, and product contribution. The value of each is added together for an employees total measure of worth to give appropriate compensation. Nobody is directly told what to do in the â€Å"Flatland. † The theory is that projects will form if enough people are interested in an idea, and subsequently, group leaders will temporarily form if needed. Ultimately, the strength in this system is that workers will be producing work which had their full dedication from the beginning. Emphasis is placed on finding your own ways to be productive. The handbook highlights the importance of â€Å"T-shaped† employees, workers that have a large variety of useable skills but are a specialist in a certain thing. Because so much responsibility is placed on individual employees, hiring incredibly skilled people who can easily be their own bosses is of utmost importance to Valve. Anybody may conduct interviews with potential employees and use their own discretion on the matter. The handbook stresses the importance of constantly raising the bar and only hiring people that are more talented than the workers already present. This goes against a usual business instinct, in which hiring many cheap, less talented workers is a cost efficient way to get a project done. However if this were to continue, some of the new employees may hire employees less skilled than themselves, and so-on, continually reducing the quality of workers present. When asked if there was any specific inspiration for Valves corporate setup, Gabe Newell, founder of Valve, actually referenced the 1993 shooter, Doom. He had worked for Microsoft and noticed that Windows was the second highest usage application at that time. The first was Doom, which was created and spread by a company of only 12 people (Suddath, 2012). This would instate the idea that having a concentrated group of powerful employees could be much more effective than a large, widespread corporation. Valves runaway success with their no-boss setup may involve a little bit of luck, but there are other companies out there that are finding the same type of success as Valve by eliminating bosses. General Electrics aviation branch and the software company GitHub both thrive with a single or small number of managers which form general goals for production, with the workers ree to organize their tasks however they feel is best. W. L. Gore, creator of the Gore-Tex material, has used a â€Å"lattice† structure since 1958, in which workers â€Å"take on leadership roles based on their ability to gain the respect of peers and to attract followers, † (Silverman, Linebaugh, 2012). Both Gore and Valve recognize that this system leads to a slower process of getting work done initially, as nobody is sure what to do at first. However, in the end employees are working much more optimally to their strengths. Valves commercial success came along early, with their first release actually; Half-Life would be the game of the year for many, if not the game of the decade. However, the success that Half-Life would bring to Valve would come not only from its initial release, but through Valves wise decision to heavily support those who wished to make mods (modifications) for the game. Worldcraft, the level design tool used for Half-Life was released with the game, and a software development kit for the engine, which would later become known as the GoldSrc engine, was released. In 1999, Minh Le and Jess Cliffe would create one of the most popular first person shooter games of all time. Their project Coutner-Strike rapidly became one of the most popular community mods for Half-Life. Valve seized a good opportunity; they proposed hiring the two creators for an official release of the game. This would start what I like to call mutualism between Valve and its following: a symbiotic relationship which is beneficial to both parties. Valve benefits because it is able to cash in on creative work that it didnt have to pay a cent to conceive or create. However, the creators of the mod are not used, given a quick check, and tossed aside. Alongside the notoriety and publicity, which is likely the extent of most modders goals, they are given a foot in the door to the video game industry, and in a fairly respectable door to the industry. Valve continued this tradition of mutualism by hiring the team responsible for a popular quake modification called Team Fortress to create the game as a Half-Life mod known as Team Fortress Classic. Perhaps the most peculiar instance of Valve hiring a team to expand their previous work is in the case of their highly acclaimed game Portal. Many eople are unaware that the games idea started as a student project at DigiPen Institute of Technology called Narbacular Drop (Kuchera, 2012). Upon presenting the game to Valve, the team was apparently hired on the spot by Gabe Newell in order to transfer the essence of the game to Valves Source engine. The important thing here is that the game started out as a student project. It had no budget, no employees, no marketing target. It was made completely for the purpose of showing off an idea. By hiring the team, Valve has the potential to make money on this genius idea, and they did not have to spend any time or money on its conception. Meanwhile, the team that created the game is given the more than sufficient reward (in my opinion, and probably many others) of a starting job at Valve. Now, I understand, game companies looking for and supporting the best of the best in the field is not a brilliantly new concept. The impressive thing about Valve is that they extend this â€Å"mutualism† to outside of the best of the best. You dont have to be a prodigy among modders or game developers. If you have a passion for 3D modeling or creating custom maps, Valve also has an interest in you, and you should have an interest in Valve! For over two years now, Valve has opened up to the creative community for their â€Å"hat-themed war simulator† also known as Team Fortress 2. In past updates, Valve would take their favorite hats, weapons, and maps from the contributions page and simply put them into the game. The contributor got to feel really awesome about his or herself. Then on September 30, 2010 one of the most important updates to Team Fortress 2 was released: The Mann-Conomy update, which introduced an in-game store for weapons and hats. The purchase of any community made item would show some profit to the contributor. Later, â€Å"stamps† became purchasable; players could buy them at the profit of contributors of various maps to the game. This circles back to my whole thought of â€Å"mutualism. † The community members creating these models and maps work with extreme scrutiny, not because they’re being paid or because they’re being told to; they work hard to create something more eye-catching or fascinating than everyone else so that they can get just an ounce of notoriety. Valve can easily reap all of this pro-bono work to make some money off of suckers who want shiny hats (including me), and because of the nflux of high quality community contributions, the employees have to worry much less about creating content themselves. The benefit for the contributors is that sweet notoriety (and a nice portfolio-filler), as well as a good chunk of cash they likely weren’t counting on anyway. In fact, more than three million dollars has been earned in total by community contributors to the game (Antista, 2012)! The contributions page for Team Fortress 2 has now been replaced with the Steam Workshop, which has expanded to include mods and maps for other games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Civilization V, Portal 2, and Dota 2. At the moment, only contributors for Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 can hope to see profit from their submissions, but the platform still is a very powerful, centralized step forward in the modding community (which has arguably died down in recent years). It allows for creators of content to be noticed easily by other members of an enormous community. So, Valve has succeeded in empowering the members of the modding, developing, modeling, and mapping communities. But what about the average fan? Well, this is where I believe Valve’s corporate genius really shines. Besides recently being able to say that I’m a student of Game Design and Development, I cannot consider myself any form of developer or contributor of game content right now. However, even I have felt empowered by Valve, have felt truly rewarded by Valve while I was throwing money in their face. Team Fortress 2 is, not only a contender for my favorite game of all time, but what I consider to be one of the most well planned, well executed, well-made, and refreshing games ever made. The game started as a single price-single purchase game, and remained that way for over two years. During this time Valve continued to supply the game with extra content at no cost to the player, and as the amount of content in the game increased, the price actually dropped; its lowest point was $9. 99, disregarding frequent sales. As mentioned, on September 30, 2010, one of the most important updates was introduced to the game, adding the in-game â€Å"Mann Co. Store. † Some people complained, but the reality was that all items exclusive to the store are purely cosmetic or irrelevant to gameplay. Along with introducing the store, Valve also introduced a trading feature between players. Both of these things empowered every player of the game enormously. All new weapons can always be found through random drops in game (and are just as likely to be found as older items). Most of them are able to be â€Å"crafted,† or essentially through the destruction of certain other items. Most of these crafting â€Å"recipes† are completely reasonable in my opinion; regular players will obtain many duplicate items without paying a cent. The addition of trading (and now the ability to trade steam products or items from completely different games) opens near infinite flexibility for those patient enough to find the right trader. The in-game store exists as a means of saving a lot of time, but does not allow for buying of power. Many people will argue that the default weapons a player starts the game with are better than everything else that has been released. â€Å"I think that were going to start to see- maybe not in the next year, but in the near future- games go down the route of smaller up-front experiences and lower prices at the beginning, and then the ability to extend the game through episodic material or future feature material. I think thats a direction were probably heading in. Games are gettting more expensive, and times are tough, and its getting harder to purchase every game you want. So how can we keep people playing and offer them more, but not have to make them break the bank to do it? Its going to be an interesting creative problem for us to solve. † -Jason DeLong, senior producer EA Canada, Gameinformer issue 202 This quote represents a fairly accurate anticipation about player empowerment from two years ago. DeLong believes that episodic content will be the way of the future, reasoning that we need to have multiple ways for people to be able to pay for a game, so that buying a game you’re not even sure you will like is not such a large investment. The point he presents is critical; episodic content is not quite catching on yet, but another flexible business form is: free-to-play. Less than a year after Team Fortress 2 had implemented its in-game store, a surprise announcement was made as part of the June 2011 â€Å"Uber Update. † The game would now be completely free to play for anyone with a working computer. This decision to make this move certainly could not have been an easy one for Valve; switching to free-to-play usually signifies that a game is making a last ditch effort to regain its player base or revenue, neither of which Team Fortress 2 has had a problem with in the past. The decision would end up paying off for everybody. The switch to free-to-play would â€Å"increase revenues by a factor of twelve† for Valve (Curtis, 2012). This would also empower anyone with a computer that could run the game; there was nothing stopping them now. It is crazy to think, but in this case, giving people stuff for free yielded significant returns. The success that Team Fortress 2 has had as a free-to-play game is an excellent case of empowering and almost manipulating customers to gain revenue. Valve did nothing immoral, they gave players a lot of choice, but they gave players so many choices that it became difficult to say no to every single one. I found a highly intriguing blog post from â€Å"The Psychology of Video Games† by Jamie Madigan discussing the mind tricks behind the â€Å"Mann Co. Store;† in short, it brings up two great points. First of all, the item store has implemented a feature letting players test out certain weapons for a week, and putting them at a 25 percent discount for this duration. Valve is in no way forcing you to buy the item; letting you try it out is a pure generosity. However, the sudden discount is tempting along with something the writer calls â€Å"the endowment effect† which essentially states that feeling that you own something makes you value that thing more. If you’ve already tried out an item in a few games, it might seem difficult to part with, when you could buy it for less than a buck! The other point that the writer brings up is that by selling some items at seemingly ridiculously high prices (a ring that makes an announcement to the entire player base for 100 dollars) it makes lower prices seem trivial. One cool hat you really want might be seven bucks, but there’s another decent one next to it for only two. If you imagine how much more money you could be blowing, it makes you feel less guilty for spending a couple dimes or dollars on a nice hat or weapon (Madigan, 2012). The final topic I want to touch on is something I find rather impressive. Valve’s efforts to empower its patrons may well be an effective counter to piracy. This is important to recognize when most companies try to deal with piracy through extreme force, which falls under the category of telling people what to do which will often just provoke them more. Robin Walker, Valve employee and creator of Team Fortress, has stated that countering piracy is best done by attempting to offer benefits that pirates cannot (How to beat pirates, 2011). Obviously, the largest benefit when it comes to Team Fortress 2 is being able to play online with everyone else who has the licensed game, but Robin also points out that the continuous updates to all of Valve’s games would be tedious to access frequently if you pirated the games. Steam itself is also a great asset. There are many who justifiably criticize Steam for its strict digital rights management; namely, it is difficult to play a Steam-purchased game outside of Steam. However, Steam itself is still a great tool for centralizing your gaming experience, staying connected with friends you play games with or even just regular friends. Steam is the easiest and fastest way for me and my best friend to see when we are online and able to talk. It provides powerful tools for creating community content and discovering indie games. The newest community update shows popular screenshots and discussion topics on the community page of each game. Such a centralized and empowered community is something that those who pirate games would have to work very hard to achieve. Some people have their complaints about Valve, and I cant say that Valve is anywhere near perfect. However, I cannot think of any other company that has inspired me on such a deep level. Firstly, Valve is an enormous artistic inspiration; just when I think my creativity is dead; Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2 remind me of how limitless the game industry can be. Second, Valve is a landmark for success. But theres something else; theres just this feeling I get that every person working for Valve has a sense of inherent good. And that is why I have no problem dumping buckets of money on them. Thats the best way I can wrap it up, even if it sounds so stupid. Valve just knows how people work. You dont need to be a psychologist; you just have to have some common sense about what makes people happy. I look to Valve as an inspiration because I want to be creative, I want to be successful, I want people to do what I want them to do (like throw money at me), but I want to make people happy as well.

Capital Punishment Essays (1806 words) - Penology, Prison, Death Row

Capital Punishment Crime and Punishment From the beginning of time, crime has been evident in human existence, and from the first crime there has always been a punishment. ?And it came to pass, when they were in a field, that Cain rose up against his brother, Able, and slew him? (Genesis 4:8). This for many people was seen as the first crime. This crime did not go unpunished. Cain was then ostracized from his colony and sent to wonder as a vagabond and a fugitive for his crime (Genesis 4:14). He was also branded with the mark of a murderer. Therefore, the presence of crime in human life is inevitable. Defined in Webster's Dictionary, crime is, an act of violation against society and its laws. Punishment is the consequence of the crime. Crimes like fraud, burglary, assault, etc., are usually punished by prison terms. Murder, manslaughter, and homicide maybe punished by prison terms or death. Ways to be executed Electrocution-the three legged oak chair was constructed in 1923 by inmates and is still used today. (ironic isn't it?) The electrocution cycle is two minutes or shorter in duration. Voltage and amperage levels peak on three occasions. Maximum current is 2000 volts and 14 amps. The executioner is an anonymous, private citizen who is paid $150 per execution. The position of executioner was advertised in several Florida newspapers in 1978. Lethal Injection-execution by lethal injection involves the continuous intravenous injection of a lethal quantity of a short-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent. A number of doctors have pointed out that drugs may not work effectively on diabetics or former drug users, whose veins may be hard to reach. In some cases minor surgery may be required to cut in to a deeper vein, according to medical testimony. More states use this form of execution than all US states. Gas Chamber-prisoner is restrained in a hermetically sealed steel chamber below which is a pan. Upon a signal, the executioner opens a valve, flowing hydrochloric acid into the pan. On a second signal, about 8 ounces of potassium cyanide crystals or tablets are dropped mechanically into the acid, producing hydrocyanic gas, which destroys the ability of blood hemoglobin to perform. Unconsciousness occurs within a few seconds if the prisoner takes a deep breath, and longer if he or she holds their breath. After pronouncement of death, the chamber is evacuated through carbon and neutralizing filters. Gas-masked crews decontaminate the body with a bleach solution and outgassed prior to release. An unwary undertaker could be killed if this is not done. States using this method: Arizona, California, Maryland, Mississippi and North Carolina. Hanging-prisoner is weighing prior to execution. The ?drop? is based on the prisoner's weight, to deliver 1260 foot-pounds of force to the neck. Essentially, the prisoner's weight in pounds is divided into 1260 to arrive at a drop in feet. This is to assure almost instant death, a minimum of bruising, and neither strangulation nor beheading. Properly done, death is by dislocation of the third or fourth cervical vertebrae. The familiar noose coil is placed behind the prisoner's left ear, so as to snap the neck upon dropping. States using this method: Delaware, Montana and Washington. Firing Squad-there is reportedly no protocol for the procedure which according to information involves a five man team, one of who will use a blank bullet so that none of them knows who was the real executioner. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty two prisoners have been executed by this method. Gary Gilmore in 1977 and John Taylor in 1996. There are only two states who use this method. They include Utah and Idaho. Who's in Federal Prison? statistics found in 1991 5% of prisoners were women 65% of prisoners belonged to racial or ethnic minorities 68% of prisoners were under age 35 96% of prison inmates were US citizens 59% of prison inmates has high school diplomas or its equivalent less than half of the inmates were sentenced for a violent crime (assault, murder, rape), a fourth were sentenced for a property crime (burglary, vandalism), about a fifth were sentenced for a drug crime (self explanatory) Who's in State Prison? statistics found in 1996 10% of prisoners were women (statistics show that prisoners were sexually or physically abused before

Updated List Colleges With the Highest SAT Scores

Updated List Colleges With the Highest SAT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’ve already taken the SAT, you know it will likely be an important component of your college applications. Maybe you've set a goal score for yourself based on the types of colleges you’re interested in. Even if you haven’t taken the SAT yet or are still considering whether to take it, you probably want to know more about what the most competitive colleges and universities expect when it comes to applicants’ standardized test scores. I’ve compiled a list of colleges with the highest average SAT scores for admitted students. You’ll be able to compare your own SAT scores (or goal scores) with those of top colleges and universities. I’ll also talk about what these rankings actually mean so that you can interpret this information effectively. For example, are these schools the best schools you can attend? Are they the most competitive? What do you do if your SAT scores are below the listed averages? Read on for a list of the top schools ranked by SAT score, and answers to the above questions! Colleges With the Highest SAT Scores: Rankings Let's get right to the good stuff: the list! The colleges below are ranked by mean (average) composite SAT score for admitted students.We've also included the mean scores for each SAT section: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math. Rank School EBRW Math Composite 1 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 780 790 1560 2 Duke University 760 780 1540 2 Harvard University 770 770 1540 2 University of Chicago 770 780 1540 2 Yale University 770 770 1540 3 Columbia University 760 770 1530 3 Vanderbilt University 770 780 1530 4 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering 750 770 1520 4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 750 780 1520 4 Princeton University 760 770 1520 4 Stanford University 760 770 1520 5 Harvey Mudd College 740 780 1510 5 Johns Hopkins University 750 760 1510 5 Northwestern University 760 770 1510 5 Rice University 750 770 1510 5 University of Pennsylvania 750 760 1510 5 Washington University in St. Louis 760 770 1510 6 Amherst College 750 750 1500 6 Bowdoin College 750 750 1500 6 Brown University 750 750 1500 6 Dartmouth College 740 750 1500 6 Pomona College 740 750 1500 7 Carnegie Mellon University 740 760 1490 7 Swarthmore College 740 740 1490 7 Tufts University 740 750 1490 7 University of Notre Dame 740 750 1490 7 Webb Institute 740 770 1490 7 Williams College 750 730 1490 8 Carleton College 740 740 1480 8 Cornell University 740 760 1480 If you want more detailed information about admissions statistics (and where you happen to fit) for any of the above schools, click the link to take you to that specific school's admissions page.On this page, you can look at average SAT scores as well as estimate your chances of getting in by entering your test scores and GPA. If you want SAT score information for other schools not listed above, simply search for "[School Name] PrepScholar admissions" on Google. The list above won't mean much without a Rosetta Stone of SAT scores. How Do You Interpret These SAT Rankings? Hopefully, you nowhave an idea of the highest expectations schools can have for students' SAT scores. This information isn't that helpful, though, if you don't know how students tend to perform on the exam. The SAT iscurrently scored out of 1600 points: 800 points possible for the Math section, and 800 points possible for the EBRW section. Currently, the average composite SAT score is 1060. In general, a student is considered to have an excellent SAT score if she is in the top 25% of test takers. To fall within this category, you'd needa composite score of around 1200or higher. On the other hand, a student is considered to have a low SAT score if he is in the bottom 25% of test takers, with a composite score around 910 or lower. Read our guide to learn more about how to think about "good" or "bad" SAT scores. Are These Really the Top Schools? The average SAT scores listed for the schools above are much higher than the overall average - in fact, some of them are pretty close to perfect. Butif a school has dizzyingly high average SAT scores, does this mean it's necessarily a top school? In a sense, yes. Schools that attract the strongest applicants tend to do so because they have excellent reputations and offer strong undergraduate programs. When schools have a stronger student body - undergraduateswith very high SAT scores, for example - they tend to build up a positive reputation and get more competitive as a result. It's a positive feedback loop: strong students with strong SAT scores continue to attract strong students with strong SAT scores. Many of the schools on the list above are ranked on well-known "best colleges and universities" lists, like the one that US News World Report publishes each year. These ranking systems aren't perfect, but they do take many quantifiable factors into account (besides just standardized test scores) when evaluating US schools. You’ll notice, for example, that all of the Ivy League schools are on this list.These schools have such high average SAT scores because they are well-reputed enough to attract students with exceptionalscores. A small side note: you might have noticed a trend in the scores that made you pause. Several of the schools listed tend to have higher Math averages than EBRW averages. Quite a few of these schools are heavy in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math);these sorts of schools may weight test scores more heavily in the application process than your average liberal arts institution, which could account in part for their high test averages. With thatsaid,it’s important to note that the best school you can attend isthe school that’s the best fit for you. Perhaps you’re interested in schools with strong Romance-language departments, core curriculums, or generous financial aid programs. The reality is, not all of the schools listed above will meet every student’s criteria. What’s most important to your success in college and beyond is that you find an institution that is able to support and foster your interests, passions, and future career path. You wouldn’t list a school renowned for its engineering program as your top choice, for instance, if you wanted to major in comparative literature! Are These Schools Really the Most Competitive? The way you gauge a school's competitivenessis by looking at its acceptance rate.The greater theratio of student applicants to spots in a new freshman class, the lower a school's acceptance rate will be. Schoolsare defined as competitive if many students are vying for a limited number of spots. In terms of acceptance rates, many of the schools above are some of the most competitive in the country. Several have acceptance rates of less than 10%.There are some equally competitive niche institutionsnot included on the list, such as Cooper Union, the US Naval Academy, the US Military Academy, and Alice Lloyd College - all of which have extremely low acceptance rates. In sum, the top schools ranked by SAT scores do tend to be competitive, but they're not the only institutions with very low acceptance rates. Just because you're lagging behind the group doesn't mean you won't have an opportunity to catch up. What If Your SAT Scores Fall Below the Listed Averages? Do You Still Have a Chance of Getting In? So what do you do if you're trying to get into a very competitive school, but your scores don't measure up? In order to be a competitive applicant,you’ll have to make up for that perceived weakness elsewhere in your application. You can do this, for example, by earning an exceptionally high GPA or making an impressive commitment to community service. Admissions officers consider students' applications holistically - meaning that they don't just focus on standardized test scores. The extent to which you have to "make up" for a low test score with other parts of your application depends on how far you fall below the school's average. At an elite school, it's unlikely you'll get in with very low SAT scores, even if the rest of your application is strong. So how do you know whether your scores fall below a dangerous threshold? Because the scores above are averages, you know that about half of all accepted students will have SAT scores lower than the ones listed. You can also access information on the â€Å"middle 50† for each school - i.e., the scores at the 25th and 75th percentiles for admitted students. This will tell you the range of scores that the middle 50% of accepted students have. You’re generally a safer applicant if you fall in this middle 50% than if you’re in the bottom 25% of students. Another factor to consider is that each school will weigh applicants’ SAT scores a bit differently in the application process. Schools like Washington University in St. Louis, for example, are well known for heavily favoring students with excellent scores. Some other schools may forgive below-average test scores if another part of your application impresses the admissions committee (refer to my examples above). There are even schools that don't require test scores at all! If you want to calculate your chances of getting into a particular school, use our admissions pages. You can find these by Googling "[School Name] PrepScholar admissions." These pages will give you more information about the school you're interested in. Finally, if it turns out that your SAT scores just aren't up to par,consider taking the ACT. All four-year US colleges and universities accept ACT scores, and some students strongly feel that they perform better on the ACT than on the SAT. What's Next? If you're considering adding some of these schools to your college application list, you'll want your SAT scores to be the best they can be. Check out our famous guide to getting a perfect 1600 on the SAT, written by an expert perfect scorer. Don't have a ton of time to prep for your SATbut still want to improve your score? Then read our top SAT tips and strategiesto help you improve your exam performance. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Assignment /4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

/4 - Assignment Example No matter how good grammatical and phonetic skills of a speaker are, without developed lexical skills it is hard to build sentences and comprehend messages, whether oral or written. When one learns a new word and starts using it in speech, he/she might notice that this word appears more often in oral and written contexts. This phenomenon is not unique to learners of a second language and frequently happens in ones native language context as well. In case a learner starts using new word often he/she cant help ignoring the new word in every cluster of speech that contains the word. The thing is the new word could have been often overlooked by the learner before he/she fully understood the meaning of the word and learned to identify different connotations of such a word within a specific context. In my opinion, noticing the new word more often, both in oral and written contexts, depends largely on the learners perception. A learner starts recognizing the new word and pays attention to its specific meaning when he/she knows its general meaning. For instance, the word "destination" can have lots of connotations, such as a goal or a mission, but a learner frequently uses this word only in a specific context and doesnt notice using it much. Thus, one tracks the word down every time he/she experiences the new connotation of the word. This, in turn, builds up the feeling that such a word is more frequently used by other speakers than before. As a matter of fact, people always tend to identify things they know something about in the first place and neglect things they know little or nothing about. The same is true when it comes to the learning and using of new words, both in a native language and in a second language